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Does modding benefit the gamer or the developer?


OnlyOneWing

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Some blockbuster games have been coming out this month and I chose to simply spend my money on Skyrim. A large part of my decision was made because I knew there would be tons of great mods for it, and I don't want to miss out on that.

 

I was thinking about it and the creation kit may be on hold until DLC is released for Xbox & PS3. Why? Think about how it will look if some mod groups release mods better than or similar to the DLC? It would kind of make Bethesda, Microsoft and Sony look bad... What if PC users get an armor, weapons pack and improved companions, all HD textures...and then Bethesda releases Horse Armor DLC for the consoles...seriously.

 

Even right now, without the creation kit modders have already made more and better mods than the DLC for most games.

Edited by OnlyOneWing
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Take the followers system in Skyrim. Apart from any legal issues (though being a modder and having your name in the end titles or a special ingame credit, would be good enough for most i think)

Bethesda made a half arsed followers system compared to what the community did with followers in Oblivion. Easy inventory acces, a lot of command possibilities, sneak, wait, cast only, hand to hand, only, call and/or summon options, create your own unique ompanion etc. etc. etc.

 

Bethesda could have easily made it as comprehensive & good as the companion mods for Oblivion. But no they made there own, as said, half arsed system. The very first companion mods in Oblivion were better despite all the limitations because modders were still learning.

The almost terrifyingly sad part is... we know Bethesda can do better, they already did. The companion system in Fallout New Vegas was fairly well made and easy to use (despite some AI issues, but those are present everywhere). If we had something as simple as the companion wheel here in Skyrim, our followers would be 100x better than they are now.

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Take the followers system in Skyrim. Apart from any legal issues (though being a modder and having your name in the end titles or a special ingame credit, would be good enough for most i think)

Bethesda made a half arsed followers system compared to what the community did with followers in Oblivion. Easy inventory acces, a lot of command possibilities, sneak, wait, cast only, hand to hand, only, call and/or summon options, create your own unique ompanion etc. etc. etc.

 

Bethesda could have easily made it as comprehensive & good as the companion mods for Oblivion. But no they made there own, as said, half arsed system. The very first companion mods in Oblivion were better despite all the limitations because modders were still learning.

The almost terrifyingly sad part is... we know Bethesda can do better, they already did. The companion system in Fallout New Vegas was fairly well made and easy to use (despite some AI issues, but those are present everywhere). If we had something as simple as the companion wheel here in Skyrim, our followers would be 100x better than they are now.

 

Which brings up an interesting point. Now I don't know anything about games like Fallout New Vegas, I have noticed something. IF the game producers use some of the communities mods to correct issues in further or new games, then the creator of that mod should be given credit or at least mentioned. An example would be this very game, I have no doubt that in a few months, this game will be even more enjoyable then it is now because the Creation kit, set will be out (or so we hope) and we will have some great mods to play with.

 

I also don't know why the producers don't learn from the mods that do come out. I can use Oblivion as an example, the male and female bodies were terrible in that game. It is an issue with this game as well. Yet, some one like Robert comes out with the most detailed and wonderful body meshes and textures for that game. Did they learn from that? Has anyone seen any real improvement in the bodies since then? In some ways it has gone the other direction (my opinion). To this day I still think the Roberts male and female bodies are the best, yet there has not been an improvement in that one item, and I wonder why.

 

It is all about money, bottom line. Time, production costs, etc, and that has a lot to do with it, but if any game producers would actually come in look at some of the mods, even try some, it could save them some time and money in the long run. Further, like it or not, it is a console world, and most games are developed with that in mind before PC and that may have something to do with it too, I don't know, I'm just speculating ( and I'm not trying to start something here so just let it go ) Bethesda CAN do better, any of them can...but usually don't. The modders in the community are a wonderful resource...why not use it, it would benefit everyone. :thumbsup:

Edited by BarefootWarrior
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They benefit both.

 

A) The modder gets to mod.They get better, and might end up as a game designer at one point. This is where most game designers start. The way to become a game developer is by having experience. You get experience by both personal projects, and modding teams. Having neither would never give you a job inside game developement.

 

B) The Developers see what people want. They see if more people download mod A, or mod B. They can then go from that. We give them ideas, we solve problems, we really shorten their work in the long run.

 

developer put down the ego and take suggestions from the modding community

They take TONS of ideas from us. However, they do it more proffesionally. By that I mean they got tools specifically for it. We make stuff on top of their game, they make it from a base. Which means they take tons of ideas, and apply it fro the base.

However, the thing is: 90% of the mods that is good rated is non-lore friendly. There is a Lich King armor, there is Midas Magic with nuke effects and there is nude mods. 2 of thoose are out of the lore, and 1 would lower the sales by a huge margin.

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yah MODs help the gamer of course. I could not play Morrowind Oblivion, Fallout or Skyrim without MODs. I just wouldnt. SOme of the coolest MODs have been incorporated into sequels of games as has been stated. MODding is a great base to snag idea for new titles.

 

I buy beth titles for the amazing base game and rely on the community to make the game as it should be especially for PC

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Strange that B took a step back from the ideas from mods on Skyrim, especially apparent when you look at FNV, many ideas and details are not added, Skyrim rather is dumbed down if anything. In so much as the mods were made for previous games, I would think that any developer 'ought' to include a thanks to those whose ideas they used [at the very least]. Oh well it's still a good game, patches not withstanding.
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